The Ink Spots sing “Do I Worry?” in 1942 film “Pardon My Sarong”:

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Today marks the seventh installment of a series that will look at the top musicians, ranked in order, in Indiana history. The list includes representatives of blues, pop, country, hip-hop, R&B, rock, classical, jazz, Broadway and punk rock styles. Look for the No. 18 musician to be unveiled at 7 a.m. tomorrow.

19. Charlie Fuqua

Most hit songs by the Ink Spots began the same way: in the hands of guitarist Charlie Fuqua.

“If I Didn’t Care,” “My Prayer,” “Maybe,” “Do I Worry?” and “I Don’t Want to Set the World On Fire” are difficult to tell apart in their opening moments, because Fuqua applied his signature “bom-ba-dee-da, bom-ba-dee-da” intro to all.

The formula worked. The Ink Spots, founded in Indianapolis in 1934, sent 20 songs into the Top 10 of Billboard magazine’s Hit Parade between 1939 and 1949. In tandem with the Ohio-based Mills Brothers, the Ink Spots are credited as forefathers to the doo-wop movement and Motown’s Temptations and Four Tops.

Kenny’s tenor defined 1939 ballad “If I Didn’t Care,” the first in a string of Billboard hits. With Fuqua playing placid-toned guitar, Watson miming onstage for laughs and Jones providing talking interludes within many songs, the Ink Spots were a charismatic act.

Hollywood columnist Ted Gill profiled the Ink Spots in 1942, while the group prepared to make a two-song appearance in the Abbott and Costello film “Pardon My Sarong.” Gill noted that the Ink Spots were being paid $20,000 for nine days of work. The quartet commanded $5,000 for a week’s worth of concert performances, and royalties from the previous year’s recordings added up to more than $28,000.

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World War II interrupted Fuqua’s showbiz ride. He was drafted and entered the Army in September 1943. Watson exited the lineup in 1944 (apparently displeased with a pay raise given to Kenny). Jones suffered a brain hemorrhage during an Oct. 18, 1944, performance by the Ink Spots in New York City, and he died later that night.

At the end of World War II, Fuqua returned to the Ink Spots. Kenny launched a solo career in the 1950s, opening the door for many acts to claim the Ink Spots name for touring and recording purposes.

“Charlie Fuqua’s Ink Spots” released songs on King Records and Verve Records and toured into the 1970s. Watson and Kenny revived the name for their own splinter groups. Meanwhile, more than 50 groups with no affiliation to the original group have performed as “Ink Spots,” according to website Inkspotsevolution.com.

Essential songs: "If I Didn’t Care,” “My Prayer," “I Don’t Want to Set the World On Fire.” (See the accompanying Spotify playlist).

He said it: “The Ink Spots were sent to New York in 1934 by Mrs. Grace Raines of radio station WLW in Cincinnati, Ohio. Mrs. Raines gave the original group the names of two agents to see in New York City. They were Moe Gale of the Gale Agency and Max Richards. At that time, the act was known as King Jack and the Jesters and included Deek Watson, Orville ‘Hoppy’ Jones, Jerry Daniels and myself. Upon arriving in New York, the group, sitting in Moe Gale’s office, tried to figure out a new name for the group. All of a sudden a drop of ink spilled from Moe Gale’s fountain pen, and Deek Watson snapped his fingers and said, ‘That’s it. The Ink Spots.’ So, the name ‘Ink Spots’ came from Deek Watson,” Fuqua, recalling the group’s origins for The Carolina Times in 1952.

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About the series: The list of 25 top Hoosier musicians includes subjective selections by Indianapolis Star reporter David Lindquist. For this list, a “Hoosier” is defined as someone who helped shape the cultural identity of Indiana or someone whose identity was shaped by the state. Musicians will be revealed every weekday through Jan. 3.